For half Jewish, half Southern Baptist Miami criminal defense attorney, Mary Magruder Katz, life changes completely when she is rear-ended at the car wash. All she wanted was a clean car. Instead she gets a hot new lover, gets fired from her job, starts her own law practice and lands her first client, Lillian Yarmouth. Lillian is accused of the stabbing death of her husband. The murder becomes the society, newspaper headline, case of the year. In her first thriller, Barbara Levenson shows the real Miami, not the South Beach tourist site. The gritty world of jails, and courtrooms filled with the quirky inhabitants of a multi-ethnic city forms the backdrop for the first book in the series of Mary Magruder Katz mysteries.
How did the idea for this book come to you?
One day I was at the car wash. I happened to see an amazingly handsome guy who I chatted with while we devoured the free bags of popcorn. He was terribly rude to the attendants, and suddenly a situation popped into my mind. This became the starting point for the book. The protagonist had been stirring around in my psyche for a while. I'm not sure where she came from. She just emerged fully formed.
How did you develop this novel from the original series of short stories?
I have a group of friends and relatives who are test readers. All of them said that each story deserved to be a book. (One said they were ripe for a TV series.) I wanted to write books, so I took the initial story, added a mystery component, and courtroom scenes and Fatal February was born.
Did your legal training help or hinder the creative process?
It helped tremendously. I have been exposed to criminal court as a prosecutor, a criminal defense attorney and as a judge. All of these jobs require use of creative energy. A prosecutor must prove her case to a jury which requires enormous preparation. Each witness must be woven into the fabric of the case, just like each event and character must be woven into the plot of a novel. A defense attorney's job is to cut holes into the fabric created by the prosecution. Again, tremendous preparation is required. Every theory of the case and every witness must be tested for credibility in the same way that an author must test every clue and character to see if they fit into and enhance the story. A judge views the work of the prosecutor and the defense counsel and judges the case as a whole, while thinking of how she might have presented the facts more relevantly. The writing process presents a different question. I believe that legal work sometimes ruins a good writer's talent.
Fortunately, I never subscribed to many theories of writing in "legalese".
What is the continued allure of Florida for the background of thrillers?
I can't answer for the whole state of Florida, but Southeast Florida lends itself to a kazillion plot ideas. If you read the Miami Herald for a week, you will see the essence of life in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale or Palm Beach. Part of the reason for this is that this location draws people from all over the world; interesting people, people with problems who want to escape and start over .This includes criminals. You also have sun, water, and the musky scent of blossoms all year long, a perfect scene for romance.
Which other writers provide you with inspiration?
Two of my favorite writers are not mystery writers. Jane McCafferty's beautiful book One Heart is a study in the beauty of words. Dave King in The HaHa is an example of the ultimate creativity. In the mystery genre, Howard Frank Mosher continues to produce innovative plots. Janet Evanovich's books are hilarious. Sue Grafton and John Grisham produce great page-turners.
What is the significance of the month of February in the book?
February is one of the most beautiful months in Miami with perfect weather, no rain, everything in bloom. Additionally, Presidents' Day weekend which generally coincides with Valentines Day is a big deal here. There are art shows, boat shows, concerts, sports events. The book opens with that weekend which sets the scene for the mystery and the romance.
What is the most challenging aspect of the writing process?
What really challenges me is preserving my writing time. It's hard for family and friends to respect that I am working. The weather calls me to be doing something other than sitting in front of my computer. Once I shut out the world, I can write for hours because for me writing is euphoria.
Contributing editor, Clare Langley-Hawthorne,
was raised in England and Australia. She was an attorney in Melbourne
before moving to the United States, where she began her career as a
writer. Her first novel, Consequences of Sin, has been nominated for
the 2008 Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery Macavity award. The
second in the Ursula Marlow series is The Serpent and The Scorpion.
Clare lives in California with her family.
I have a group of friends and relatives who are test readers. All of them said that each story deserved to be a book. (One said they were ripe for a TV series.) I wanted to write books, so I took the initial story, added a mystery component, and courtroom scenes and Fatal February was born. Did your legal training help or hinder the creative process?
It helped tremendously. I have been exposed to criminal court as a prosecutor, a criminal defense attorney and as a judge. All of these jobs require use of creative energy. A prosecutor must prove her case to a jury which requires enormous preparation. Each witness must be woven into the fabric of the case, just like each event and character must be woven into the plot of a novel. A defense attorney's job is to cut holes into the fabric created by the prosecution. Again, tremendous preparation is required. Every theory of the case and every witness must be tested for credibility in the same way that an author must test every clue and character to see if they fit into and enhance the story. A judge views the work of the prosecutor and the defense counsel and judges the case as a whole, while thinking of how she might have presented the facts more relevantly. The writing process presents a different question. I believe that legal work sometimes ruins a good writer's talent.
Fortunately, I never subscribed to many theories of writing in "legalese".
What is the continued allure of Florida for the background of thrillers?
I can't answer for the whole state of Florida, but Southeast Florida lends itself to a kazillion plot ideas. If you read the Miami Herald for a week, you will see the essence of life in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale or Palm Beach. Part of the reason for this is that this location draws people from all over the world; interesting people, people with problems who want to escape and start over .This includes criminals. You also have sun, water, and the musky scent of blossoms all year long, a perfect scene for romance.
Which other writers provide you with inspiration?
Two of my favorite writers are not mystery writers. Jane McCafferty's beautiful book One Heart is a study in the beauty of words. Dave King in The HaHa is an example of the ultimate creativity. In the mystery genre, Howard Frank Mosher continues to produce innovative plots. Janet Evanovich's books are hilarious. Sue Grafton and John Grisham produce great page-turners.
What is the significance of the month of February in the book?
February is one of the most beautiful months in Miami with perfect weather, no rain, everything in bloom. Additionally, Presidents' Day weekend which generally coincides with Valentines Day is a big deal here. There are art shows, boat shows, concerts, sports events. The book opens with that weekend which sets the scene for the mystery and the romance.
What is the most challenging aspect of the writing process?
What really challenges me is preserving my writing time. It's hard for family and friends to respect that I am working. The weather calls me to be doing something other than sitting in front of my computer. Once I shut out the world, I can write for hours because for me writing is euphoria.
Contributing editor, Clare Langley-Hawthorne,
was raised in England and Australia. She was an attorney in Melbourne
before moving to the United States, where she began her career as a
writer. Her first novel, Consequences of Sin, has been nominated for
the 2008 Sue Feder Memorial Historical Mystery Macavity award. The
second in the Ursula Marlow series is The Serpent and The Scorpion.
Clare lives in California with her family.
